Pumping power



Patented Sept. 17, 1935 PATENT OFFICE PUMPING POWER fCharles McLane,Lufkin, Tex, assignor to Lufkin' Foundry & Machine Company, Lufkin,Tex., a

corporation Application August 13, 1932, Serial No. 628,653

4 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in a mechanism known as apumping power which is used in connection with the production of oilfrom wells. 1

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement over thestructure disclosed in application Serial No. 314,117, filed October 22,1928, by Walter C. Trout.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a, pumping powerwherein there is great stability obtained for the eccentric stressesthat are applied to the machine.

Another object of the invention is to construct a pumping power whereinall of the gearing is enclosed in an oil bath and wherein the gearing isrigidly supported by an extended stub shaft carried by the housing ofthe machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide in combination with apumping power an insertable stub shaft which is adapted to extend beyondthe normal base of the pumping power so that the shaft will besufficiently braced to withstand the bending stresses applied thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cantilever constructionfor the stub shaft in oil well pumping powers.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent whenthe following description is considered in connection with theaccompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional Viewof a pumping power constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the pumping power shown in Fig. 1.

The general construction of the entire machine is similar to that shownin my co-pending application hereinabove referred to and includes thehousing 2, which includes the base portion 3, the

sides 4, and the top or cover 5. These parts in combination with thecrank table 6 make a completely closed housing which is adapted toretain a quantity of lubricating material in which the main drive gear 8is arranged for rotation. The power will be applied to the machine bymeans of a drive wheel 9, which is best seen in Fig. 2. This drive wheelserves to rotate the worm shaft II, which is mounted in suitablebearings in the portion [2 of the housing 2. The shaft II has teethformed thereon which mesh with the teeth !3 on the periphery of thedrive wheel 8.

In this manner the drive wheel Bis caused to rotate and causes aneccentric movement to the crank arm l5, which is formed integral with oris carried by the crank table 6. r A suitable concentric wheel i6 ismounted on the crank arm I by means of the bearings I'l, so that thesame may be carried around with the crank I 5. A plurality of openings!8 are formed in the wheel Hi to receive the rod or cable connections tothe wells which 5iv are to be pumped.

It is to be understood that there may be one or more of the wheels I6mounted on the crank table 6, one being shown in the present drawing,

whereas two are illustrated in my co-pending 10- application.

The crank table 6 is attached to the top of thedrive gear Bby means ofthe bolts 20. The crank table 6 serves to close the cover 5 of thehousing and the packing 2| makes a leak-proof seal at the edge of thecrank table so that the lubricant from within the housing can not escapeand. dust and dirt from the exterior of the housing can not contaminatethe lubricant.

One of the features of novelty of the present invention is theparticular mounting of the stub shaft indicated generally in Fig. l at25. This shaft is subjected to enormous bending moments due to thestresses applied to the crank wheels I6 in event the wells are notevenly balanced in their connection to the pumping power. With this inmind the shaft 25 has been changed from its general construction shownin my copending application and now embodies the lower or cantileverportion 26, which is formed integral with the upper or gear supportingportion 21.

The shaft 25 is shown as hollow and provided with a plurality ofinternal ribs 31, which eliminates excessive weight in the shaft and atthe same time provides sufficient strength to withstand the bendingmoments. 7

Intermediate the ends of the shaft 25 is shown a holddown portion 28, inthe form of a flange. This flange is arranged to seat in the depression29 in the base 3 of the housing 2 and is held in position by suitablecap screws or bolts 30. The lower portion 26 of the shaft is ofparticular importance because it serves to withstand the bending momentsapplied to the portion 21 of the shaft, and in this manner takes anenormous strain from the base 3 of the housing. In order to properlysupport the lower portion 26 of the shaft 25 so that it will withstandthe stresses, a

dation member by which it is connected to the housing 2.

Spaced radially of the well 34 are the braces or webs 36, which serve toabsorb the stresses applied to the end by the lower portion of the stubshaft.

It will be readily apparent that from the foregoing description acantilever construction has been provided in connection with the stubshaft so that the stresses will be evenly distributed. There will be nobreakage of the parts and the service obtainable from the power ismaterially extended because there is no whipping or vibra-' tion of theparts as they operate and this, in turn, eliminates excessive stressesto the various parts of the machine. While a flange on the shaft hasbeen shown as a hold down, it is contemplated that other structures maybe used if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. An oil bath pumping power including a housing, an opening in the baseof said housing, a gear support shaft positioned to extend through saidopening, a flange on said shaft to seat inside of the opening in saidhousing to support the shaft, and a cap to fit the bottom of said baseto enclose the lower end of the shaft projecting through the opening,and means to fix said flange and cap to the base to hold said shaft inaligned position.

2. An oil bath pumping power including a housing, an opening in the baseof said housing, a gear support shaft positioned to extend through saidopening, a flange on said shaft to seat inside of the opening in saidhousing to support the shaft, and a cap to fit the bottom of said baseto enclose the lower end of the shaft projecting through the opening,means to flx said flange and cap to the base to hold said shaft inaligned position, and a gear rotatable on said shaft so that the shaftis the only support therefor.

3. An enclosed pumping power including in combination a housing, astationary shaft projecting through the base of said housing, arotatable gear on said shaft, means on said gear to cooperate with saidhousing to form an oil bath chamber for said gear, and to carry aneccentric load, and means to fix said shaft to said housing to resistthe lateral stresses of the eccentric load applied to said shaft andgear including a flange fixed on the shaft and on the base of thehousing, and a cap below the base of the housing to form a bearing forthe projecting end of said shaft.

4. An enclosed pumping power including in combination a housing, astationary shaft projecting through the base of said housing, arotatable gear on said shaft, means on said gear to cooperate with saidhousing to form an oil bath chamber for said gear, and to carry aneccentric load, and means to fix said shaft to said housing to resistthe lateral stresses of the eccentric load applied to said shaft andgear including a flange fixed on the shaft and on the base of thehousing, and a cap below the base of the housing to form a bearing forthe projecting end of said shaft, said shaft being hollow and formedwith internal ribs to resist bending.

CHARLES McLANE.

